AIDEN'S POV
I sat alone in the kitchen long after I had dropped Jasmine in her room.
The silence felt anything but calm. It was thick with all the things we wished we could say but never did. I looked at the counter, remembering how her dress had dripped water onto the marble, leaving a mark in my mind that I couldn't forget.
The shattered pool.
Her soaked clothes.
The way her voice didn't tremble when she said she wasn't broken.
I hadn't moved from the barstool. Couldn't. My wolf hadn't said a word since I walked out. Not that he needed to. The silence between us was louder than words.
When he finally spoke, his voice was softer than usual. It still had that sharpness and quickness to it, but it carried a gentler tone that took me by surprise.
"You almost lost her," Ace said.
I didn't answer.
"She didn't ask for protection. She asked for the truth."
"I know."
"So give it to her."
"I will. Just… not yet."
Ace scoffed. A short, bitter sound. "You're still afraid."
